The Laxford Sea Trout Tracking Project

During 2018 we will be tracking 100 sea trout within loch Laxford. We hope to be able to determine how the fish are using the sea loch and its estuaries and bays. This will help inform future coastal management of sea trout. The project is being undertaken in collaboration with Atlantic Salmon Trust, Marine Scotland, and the University of Glasgow (SCENE).

Donation options below

Donations

Between AST, SCENE, MSS, WSFT, and our supporters so far,

We have now raised:£158,029.77 which is 97% of the project budget: £162,890

Your contribution will help us get closer to the final amount needed to deliver this crucial project: £4860.23 remaining

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Donate £15

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Name and Adopt a sea trout - £25.00 (73 Available)

Receive a certificate with details of your fish and when it was captured and tagged. This can be done either electronically or in the post. You will also receive information about it’s behaviour and movements once the data has been retrieved and analysed at the end of the study. Information is likely to be available during early 2019.

Tell us what to name your sea trout in the comments box. Please keep names family friendly, thanks!

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All donations go to West Sutherland Fisheries Trust and will be used for The Laxford Sea Trout Tracking Project

Every donation counts; all are seriously appreciated no matter how big or small

WSFT is committed to keeping your personal information secure and private, and will not send you marketing material or pass on any of your details to 3rd parties for any reason.

The Project

We aim to inform the development of management strategies to better protect these incredible fish by gaining a much more detailed understanding of their behaviour within the coastal environment.

Sea trout have been a highly sought after game fishing species for centuries; their elusive nature still attracts anglers from the world over to try and tempt one of these bejewelled bars of speckled silver. Sea trout also play an important role within ecosystems and are an indicator of clean and healthy freshwater burns and rivers. But sadly sea trout are now under threat and are listed as a UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) priority species. West Sutherland Fisheries Trust (WSFT), Atlantic Salmon Trust (AST), The Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment (SCENE), and Marine Scotland Science (MSS) are teaming up to track sea trout movements within Loch Laxford throughout the summer of 2018. Between us, we have raised 85% of the project budget: £162,890.

Genetic analysis has told us:

Sweep netting surveys cannot tell us:

How many (if any) are migrating to the open sea; are our theories correct?

Are there specific areas and habitats within the estuaries and sea lochs that are of particular importance to sea trout

How sea trout interact with aquaculture units

If sea trout with sea lice burdens behave differently to those without

Detailed information on freshwater re-entry

Information on sea trout predation

If sea trout populations across similar sites on the west coast of Scotland are behaving in the same way

Through WSFT’s local knowledge and AST, SCENCE, MSS resources and expertise in Acoustic Tracking,we will address these queries and build towards better protection and conservation of our sea trout populations through improved evidence-based management.

Badnabay: an intertidal zone likely to be of importance to sea trout due to feeding opportunities

The Plan :

40 acoustic receivers have been strategically positioned throughout Loch Laxford, and it’s estuaries and bays in order to provide coverage of different habitat types, aquaculture facilities, and likely migration routes.

Badnabay: an intertidal zone likely to be of importance to sea trout due to feeding opportunities

100 sea trout of differing lifecycle stages will be caught from WSFT’s Badnabay smolt trap and Laxford estuary sweep netting site. They will each be fitted with a transmitter tag which will be detected by the receivers as they swim near them. The receivers will be recovered after a 6 month study period and the data logged within them will be analysed.

Set up of

Acoustic Release Receivers

Deploying Acoustic Release Receivers:

We need to find out what’s really going on out there

Outcomes :

The local picture :

Results can be used to..

Highlight sensitive areas of importance to sea trout

Highlight sensitive temporal factors such as migration timings

Provide information on sea trout predation

Inform the development of local management strategies in order to better protect sea trout populations in the coastal environment

The bigger picture :

Results will be cross referenced with similar Scottish west coast sea trout tracking study sites, meaning current theories on west coast sea trout behaviour may be solidified as a result. This has the potential to influence wider management policies. Other study sites include:

Volunteer with us ...

... and help us haul that net!

If you would like to come and join in with the sweep netting action, please email or call us for a chat and we will gladly get you involved if you think you are up to the challenge!

If you would simply like to come along to meet us and watch the netting, dates and times for sweep netting are updated on the home page.

We hope to see you soon!

Project Supporters

We would like to extend our thanks to The Laxford Sea Trout Project supporters so far

We have received a huge amount of support from local businesses, estates, private individuals, and volunteers. All have been instrumental in helping us implement this project, either through cash donations, pre-project consultations, in-kind provision of resources, or hands on graft come rain or shine.